A lot of times with parenting, we get so overwhelmed with it that we get caught up in the now that we forget to parent for the future as well. Here's some tips from a reader about how to encorporate future planning into your parenting style.
Being a parent means being responsible for your family in so many ways. As a parent, you provide a warm and welcoming home where your children feel safe and secure. You are the nurturer who brings nutritious and satisfying food to the table for your loved ones. And you do all you can to make sure their future is bright and full of promise. In a perfect world, bringing love into your home would be all that is needed for happiness and completion. Love would provide the perfect environment for your children to thrive and grow. There are so many other avenues to attend to and tasks to be done. We have to watch over our offspring and at the same time give them the room to learn and experience life.
Making Sure Our Family Is Fed Nutritiously
One of the ways you can truly provide for your children is to make sure they always are always fed nutritiously. You can help assure their health and well-being by buying good organic, healthy food. Although organic food can be more expensive it's possible to stay within your budget by buying in bulk. If you set up a neighborhood buying group you can take advantage of bulk pricing and share the purchases with many families. There are many stores that carry bulk food and offer you more for your money. Another option is to order online or by phone and have it delivered. This helps save time and money and assures that you always have enough sustenance in your home for your family. In times such as these, it's always good to plan ahead and buy in quantity so you are prepared for anything that may arise.
Education Is Power
Parents almost universally strive to help their children have a better life than they had. One of the best ways to do this is to ensure that they have the best education possible. A degree from a prestigious university gives your child a great start in life and opens doors for them for years to come. With soaring college costs, many have had to take out Parent PLUS student loans to help pay for their children's four-year degree. The financial burden of making monthly payments on these loans can be extreme. Fortunately, if you have a Parent PLUS loan you can explore forgiveness programs that are available. It's important to start doing your research so you fully understand the terms of these offers. You'll need to follow very specific guidelines if you want to get approved.
Home Is Where the Heart Is
As a parent, you may want your family to live in a big luxurious palace-like home. What truly makes up a home, though, is the feeling of love and togetherness. Teaching our children to be kind and caring will always be more important than the size of your house, the type of car you drive and whatever material possessions you may own. Trying to remember that less is more is teaching our offspring the value of being practical and having what we truly need versus everything we want. By living in a smaller space, we may save enough money on rent or a mortgage to do what we really love. This can also free up our time because we don't have to make as much money to pay the bills. We will then have the time to encourage the creativity and potential of our children and joyful moments when we watch them flourish. What better gift and lesson can we give our children than the lesson of having compassion for each other and understanding what is truly important in life?